SC,

Lucky you.

Guess what was the first thing I did this morning. Take the external hard drive down to my studio and back up my photography computer!

That Carbonite system looks interesting. Snag is that I don't have a proper internet feed in my studio.

TP

TP, a very salutory lesson!!!

Optimist, can't get Carbonite to open. Will try later. In the meantime I'm transferring all my photos and other data to my other two PCs. Also have a 500Gb external disc arriving today !!

I am using BTYahoo broadband and getting very frustrated with problems. At the moment the yahoo browser is stalling and i am having to get out using the task manager. however , this seems to leave my HUB stalled also and cannot access it so cannot get back online. Have not found a solution to the hub stalling but have got back online by switching the HUB on and off and also switching off the computer but the latter only works sometimes.

Could somebody explain to me what may be happening to the HUB when the browser stalls. ta

75 free ways to refresh Windows XP & Vista

NB. Making changes to services can cause problems, so set a System Restore point or back up your Windows Registry. Even after this precaution, be careful about which services you disable.

Never shut down a service you don't understand, and don't disable several services at once. Instead, turn one off and see whether your system runs okay without it for a while before disabling any others.

And - before you start, it might be an idea to either make a few notes or, better still, print some off - so have a look here:

http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

SC.

Deleted as you suggest.

But is it actually illegal to piggy back? I am aware of the dangers, et al, but was not aware that it was criminal.

TP

Two different people have been taken to court for it in recent months, TP.

Er, yes, very TP!!

Hmmm, I wonder if PC Plod monitors Ebay?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/smartbridges-wireless-wifi-802-11-outdoor-access-point_W0QQitemZ120168873221QQihZ002QQcategoryZ45002QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

DP,

That BlackViper site is interesting.

I have done the indexing and themes tweaks and it seems to have speeded things up for me.

TP

Needing a couple of new PCs running XP pro for the business, want fastish machines, looking around 400-600 without screen, any ideas? Have been looking at Ebuyer HP machines, but has anyone got any other suggestions.

SC

It depends what you want to use your machies for. Many business machines need a good processor and plenty of RAM but do not use much hard disk space and CDROM and floppy drives can be a disadvantage. If this is the case with your bussiness then find someone who will make the machines to your spec and don't pay for stuff that you don't want (also you avoid the rubbish free software/spyware that comes with most new computers.

In any case, make sure you get at least an Intel Core 2 Duo proccessor. That seems to be the best low end at present.

Having said that, in the past year I've bought very old second hand IBM and HP units. They are a pain to set up, because they use some non standard components but the build quality was far better than other machines. I guess that sometimes, you get what you pay for.

Thanks Optimist (again!). These are mainly to be used for database work and mailmerge type stuff using word, which is painfully slow at times on the current cheapo machines we have :-)

Hav had bad experiences in the past with custom made units using cheap components - some suppliers promising the earth and delivering rubbish.

SC have a look at power computing Ltd. Free delivery, Good warranty and varity of specs.
Anyone else used the co?

www.powerc.com

Have a look at this machine. These guys are excellent computer dealers and the experience I have had in dealing with them for about 5 years now was second to none. Check out their site for trouble free software downloads and also their site's computer hardware search engine facility.

http://www.computerdoctors.uk.net/shop/v6000w.htm

DP,

Still running noticeably faster.

Indexing was on manual anyway so it must be those themes tweaks that have speeded things up. Didn't do much else.

TP

Thanks Optomistic and Doc. Will have a look.

Haven't done anything about the new PCs yet.

However, my crashing desktop has had a new HD fitted and everything re-installed by my tame PC man, and he has "optimised" the installation. It has never run so fast, boots up incredibly quickly, multitasks with ease, plays DVDs better than it ever has and just seems like it's got a new processor. Amazing what a good install can do. Took him about 5 hours, so I'm glad I didn't atttempt it.

Finally got rid of the Trojan.killav from my friends PC. Excellent help from www.CEXX.Org (shame about how it is pronounced). Used Combofix, HighJackThis, Smitfraudfix and AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5 under safe mode. All under supervision of course:-)
Phew! What a b*****d that was!
I think it would have been quicker to do a re-install with hindsight. :-))

The power supply for one of my 19inch monitors has died on me,it a 240v-12v 4amp thingy by Digimate.Does anyone have any suggestions please on this one.do PC World do replacements or can it be sourced from another supplier.

Rick..........

You may be able to get a replacement one but if you have dificulty you should be able to use a universal power supply. Try Maplins.